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World's foremost authority on medication errors to speak Feb. 16 at SUNY Health Science Center

Michael R. Cohen, MS, FASHP, considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the causes and prevention of medication errors, will be speak Tuesday, Feb. 16 in the Medical Auditorium, Weiskotten Hall, 766 Irving Ave., Syracuse. Registration is at 6 p.m., the lecture from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by coffee and dessert.

Cohen's presentation will examine medication errors related to drug use systems, including distribution methods, look-alike product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature. He will discuss some of the procedures implemented by hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies in order to prevent medication errors.

As president and co-founder of the Institute for Safe Medication Practice (ISMP), Cohen has been a longtime patient safety advocate, concentrating on the prevention of adverse drug events. Through the nonprofit ISMP, Cohen writes medication error prevention features read by over 1.5 million physicians, nurses and pharmacists monthly. He also edits ISMP Medication Safety Alert!, a biweekly bulletin sent via fax or e-mail to institutions worldwide.

Cohen has more than 100 publications to his credit, including the books Medication Errors; Medication Errors: Causes and Prevention; and 200 Medication Errors and How to Avoid Them. In 1998 he was named as one of the top 50 most influential pharmacists in the United States by American Druggist, and in June of last year, the ISMP received the Pinnacle Award from ApHA.

Cohen received his bachelor's and master's degrees in pharmacy from Temple University. He is a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the American Pharmaceutical Association and the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

There is no fee for the lecture, which is approved for 2.0 Continuing Medical Education contact hours for physicians and 2.0 Continuing Education Unit contact hours for nurses and pharmacists. Cohen's presentation is sponsored by University Hospital's Department of Pharmacy Services in collaboration with the pharmacy departments at Community General Hospital, Crouse Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, the Veterans' Administration Medical Center and the Central New York Society of Health System Pharmacists, and supported by educational grants from Baxter Pharmaceuticals and Astra Pharmaceuticals.

To register, or for more information, contact Phyllis Burke at 315-464-4311.

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